If you gave it an honest listen and you’re satisfied with what you heard, you can stop reading and go enjoy a cup of coffee. If not, or if you’d just like to read some reminders for creating a professional voicemail greeting, read on.
26. Hello, you’ve reached [your name]. I’m either on another call, on a top secret mission to Mars, or I’ve just stepped away from my desk for the day. Leave a message after the tone and I’ll call you back tomorrow or in about seven months.
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With VoiceOverPro, there is only one professional recorder; therefore, there are no tonal options. If a user was looking for different voice options, they may be better to head to a larger company. For example, VoiceArchive offers a library of over 1300 professional voice talents (including child talent). Users can select commercial samples of each talent to get a feel for the talent’s style. While this can be a bit daunting, the provider even offers a search option to find specific talents. As such, users are able to experiment with much more flexibility. Additionally, users are able to select from over 90 languages including Dutch, French, German, Italian, English, Spanish, and many more. Aside from this, users are guaranteed delivery of their message within 24 hours.
Voicemails need to maintain a professional consistency that’s aligned with the entity it’s representing. That said, the structure can vary depending on the situation. There’s no template set in stone. In fact, trite and generic should be off the table. The goal should be a balance of uniqueness and practicality.
Making an outline of the call flow and writing out scripts for each phase and menu in it can help ensure that there are no gaps in the process from start to finish. This way, callers can reach the voicemail recording in the first place.
What do you think of your voicemail greeting? Does it sound professional, or is it outdated? Even worse, is it a computerized voice with a default message? (Ew.)
e. Never Assume Anything: Phrases like “You Know What To Do,” “Sing Your Song at the Beep,” and others mentioned above are awful to leave in your greeting. For the sake of universality and comprehensiveness, NEVER assume the caller knows what to do. Lay it out clearly. f. Leave a Message: This phrase, by itself, will not do. It’s imperative for users to identify themselves in their greetings. Callers need to know they’ve reached the right person. g. Disregard Lethargy: If you’re not excited about your greeting, why would anyone else be? Never display a lack of enthusiasm in your greeting as it could turn callers off to both you and your business. h. Speak Clearly and Never Slur: Callers need to understand your every word; therefore, mumbling, slurring, and all other detractions of speech should never be recorded. d. Be Creative Without Sacrificing Quality: Callers know how voicemails work–i.e. leave a number, message, etc. While you want to be clear, it’s important not to be contrive or redundant with your message. Creativity can help users to differentiate themselves, as well as intrigue callers. While users should avoid the tropes of creativity listed above, it’s definitely good to think outside the box. That being said, scripting and practice can help users to experiment more with their greeting–ultimately allowing for more unique and creative approach. e. Speak With Diction: It’s important to present one’s self as an authority without alienating callers. As such, it’s crucial to articulate and speak with clear diction. “ if your voice recording has you stumbling over words and speaking haltingly, it does not convey confidence and competence,” states Ron Sellers of Grey Matter Research & Consulting. Remember, this greeting represents you; therefore, you want to appear collected and professional, as well as welcoming. To do this, one must carry themselves well through their recorded message. f. Account for Timeliness: Your message should be concise. No caller wants to be sitting through a rant/diatribe of redundant statements. Your greeting should flow without dragging. Inversely, one doesn’t want to be terse, either. Engage callers with a simplified approach laden with creativity. h. Account for Quality: Aside from speaking clearly, users want to eliminate any noise in the surrounding environment. The quality of the greeting is just as important as what’s being said in the greeting itself. As such, one doesn’t want to undermine a great message with poor quality. i. Courtesy, Tastefulness, & Tact: This is pretty self-explanatory and straight forward–NEVER be rude. Being light-hearted and humorous is very different from being obnoxious and/or abrasive. Again, these tools can be helpful if utilized properly, but not everyone perceives humor the same way. So play it safe. The last thing your voicemail greeting should do is offend a caller. k. Provide Options: if you’re part of a bigger company, it might be good to offer caller options. For example, allow a menu to defer callers to a colleague or co-worker in your absence. This can help show callers you care about their well being. Another option might be offering different modes of communication–i.e. email, fax, etc. In offering users diversity, contact may be much easier to maintain.
Android phones can access voicemail by holding down the 1 key on the dial pad until the phone dials your 10-digit phone number. You will automatically connect to your mailbox and be prompted to enter your temporary password; this password is the last 4 digits of your phone number followed by the # key. Start the Google Voice app. Tap the three horizontal lines at the top left of the screen (sometimes called a hamburger menu), and then tap “Settings.” In the Voicemail section, tap “Voicemail greeting.” Tap “Record a greeting.” How do I access my voicemail? To call your voicemail on an Android phone, simply open your phone’s dial pad and hold your finger down on the “1” key. You can also call your voicemail from a different phone by calling your own number and tapping the pound key. How do you check your voicemail?
From the Skype for Business desktop app (if you are running Click-2-Run build C2R 8201.1002 or later), select Set Up Voice Mail. From the voicemail email, click the Set Up Voice Mail hyperlink. On the Skype for Business Settings page, select Voicemail. On the Voicemail settings page, you can configure the following settings:
Context does matter here. If the caller would reasonably expect you to answer the phone (such as if they were calling a store or other place of business), an apology for not being able to get to the phone makes the most sense.
When leaving a voicemail, hanging up sends it. The other person listens to the exact same audio file that you recorded by leaving the voicemail on that automated system, which just so happens to be the same exact system playing back that audio file as output for the intended recipient.
To improve a a business voicemail greeting, keep these eight rules at the forefront of the creative process: Avoid turning customers off with overused and impersonal phrases like “your call is very important to us..." Avoid leaving customers unsure by not immediately telling them the business, department, and/or person they’ve reached. Avoid leaving customers confused with too many details and complications; just keep it simple. Avoid messages longer than 25 seconds. Do apologize for being unavailable at the moment. Do invite the caller to leave a message. Do tell the caller when they can expect a return call and actually follow through within that timeframe. Do tell the caller about any applicable alternative options of contact and information- website, live chat, email, social media, or emergency numbers. Voicemail Greetings 101
Here, the DUI lawyer ensures the clients are assured of help at the earliest and to tackle emergency situations he/she offers an alternate number.
Though it may seem weird and nonsensical to you, it really works. When you smile as you speak, you are able to sound happy, cheerful, and upbeat. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.
1. Business voicemail greeting samples. If you have a main business phone number that’s shared with the customers or publicly listed, you’ll want to make sure it has a professional voicemail message to greet callers.
Check out these free business voicemail scripts with over 20 scripts that you can implement today. What you get: Work Voicemail Script Business Voicemail Script Vacation Voicemail Script Holiday Voicemail Script Urgent Voicemail Script Redirect Voicemail Script Parental Leave Voicemail Script Former Employee Voicemail Script Please enter your full name. Please enter a valid email address. Please enter an organization.
Instructions can also be found at www.coxbusiness.com/voice mail. The Voice Mail Quick Reference Guide will walk you through frequently used prompts and commands. After the migration of voice mail, will I be able to retrieve messages from my original voice mailbox?